


(Everyday Is A) Winding Road

by wakandan_wardog



Series: California Dreamin': A Beach Bums Verse [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Losers (2010), The Losers (Comic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Body Horror, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Canon-Typical Behavior, Canon-Typical Violence, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Falling In Love, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, LGBTQ Character of Color, M/M, Male Character of Color, Minor Character(s), Non-Consensual Body Modification, Not Captain America: The Winter Soldier Compliant, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Roadtrip, Roadtrip America, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Working With Your Ex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-23 20:50:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20014603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wakandan_wardog/pseuds/wakandan_wardog
Summary: In the wake of discovering the Winter Soldier is in fact James Barnes, the Avengers have brought him back to Avengers Tower in New York. Though the team is slowly falling together, they seem more interested in welcoming new members than they do getting along with Tony Stark. So there are two outsiders roaming the tower, James Barnes and Tony Stark himself. Upon encountering his most elusive roommate, Tony speaks before he thinks, inviting the Soldier to escape New York with him in a casually meandering Roadtrip that will change both of their lives... and eventually land them exactly where they were always meant to be.Together, in Malibu.This is a Fill for Tony Stark Bingo 2019A2: ROAD TRIP





	(Everyday Is A) Winding Road

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rinnwrites](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rinnwrites/gifts).



Tony Stark isn't a self-centered egotist or an idiot, contrary to what his teammates might think. The fact that they prefer to go all-in on the projected Tony Stark image rather than even attempting to know the man behind it is disappointing, but not surprising. Nearly everyone Tony has ever met has been the same, so why should he expect different results now? He knows how rare people like Pepper and Rhodey really are. The Avengers are heroes, and from where they stand Tony Stark _isn't_. 

It doesn't matter that he helped in the battle against Loki and the Chitauri. It doesn't matter that he's offering them a place to live in the tower, feeding them, building them gear. They've seen some of his old interviews, heard about his dating history, and decided they know everything they need to about the great Tony Stark. 

Even if Rhodey knew him before a lot of his reputation was built, his Gumdrop is still a literal unicorn. Tony knows better than to believe that there are others out there willing to give him a fair shake, much as it hurts his heart to admit it. Heroes or not, his teammates formed their opinion of him ages before they got to word one, and even the sight of Tony performing genuine heroics won’t shake those foundations now. It's set in stone. 

Which Tony would call grossly unfair, if he were to remark on such a thing at all. Well, if he were to remark on such things sober and without an object to throw in protest. (Drunk, armed, or drunk and armed are _entirely_ different situations, thank you very much.) But yes, in the absence of alcohol and projectile weapons, he would say it’s unfair. 

Unfiltered and uncompromising, Pepper just says it’s bullshit. Which is daunting enough, the sight of Pepper wound up enough to swear, and things get even more intimidating when she threatens to destroy the will and morale of the team with paperwork. It’s a step up from her casual threat to feed them to his bloodthirsty pack of lawyers, which is delivered on the daily and has ceased to hold any shock value. In Tony’s humble opinion? Pepper is the best. 

Rhodey is -wisely and unsurprisingly- on Pepper’s side in this. Tony doesn’t blame him, because only an idiot would take a side that wasn’t Pepper’s side. The fact is, Rhodey’s incredibly smart. Too smart to stand against Pepper. The Avengers aren't that smart, but they haven't figured out how big a threat Pepper is, either. As Mama Rhodes would say, _bless their hearts_.

One day, they'll damn well learn. 

Even when he can’t take Pepper’s side Tony is a genius. So, in situations such as this, he just chooses silence (which is _not a side_ , Pepper, stop glaring) and nods when it seems like she expects him to. Not one to be outdone, Rhodey fills in when Pepper pauses to admire Tony’s peace offering shoe-basket. When that doesn't work he returns to his favorite tactic, referencing the impressive array of weapons that War Machine is outfitted with, and offering new-and-creative ways to deploy them with regards to varying teammates. 

Has Tony mentioned that his friends are the best? Because they are. 

With friends like this, it’s easy to -well, not easy, but possible- to overlook the disdain and disapproval of his teammates. Surely they could figure Tony out of they put any thought into his story at all, but they don’t. Whether it’s due to their own self-involvement, or laziness, or just their willingness to believe the worst about him… well, who can say? But it is what it is, and Tony isn’t fighting it now. 

After spending a lifetime in the glittering shark tank of high society, Tony has learned a thing or two. He grew up knowing full well to count his fingers after every handshake, learning to watch his own back so he can see who the next knife belongs to... it's all a second nature to him. Breathe, smile, politely skirt the next social landmine and blandly comment on all the blood in the water. The spectacle is part of the sport. 

High society is three parts bloodsport and one part gambling. Gliding through it all is expected, and any faltering is to be treated as weakness, to be set upon immediately. It's what he does. It is perhaps all he'd ever known, before MIT and Rhodey. Well, that and the crack of his father's hand on his cheek, the sting of too-hot metal on uncalloused palms, the scent of booze, the knowledge he would never measure up. But with that at home, the tooth and claw of high society hardly registered. 

Adapt. Evolve. Overcome. Identify your enemy, learn their weaknesses, use their weaknesses to destroy them. In some obscure way, Howard probably would have been proud, if he could have stopped hating his son’s potential long enough to notice. If he had lived long enough to see the end result. 

Tony doesn’t like to think about how his previous actions might have made Howard proud. It’s just that sometimes he can’t help it. Which is why he drinks, or why he used to drink.

Meeting Rhodey saved him, Tony maintains to this day. In more ways than he can even count, if he’s being honest. For one thing, Rhodey was the first true friend Tony had that he didn’t build for himself. He was also the first person to be tolerant of DUM-E’s unique brand of affection, the first person beyond Tony himself to speak to JARVIS, the first one to suggest that Tony could be more than the Stark the tabloids hungered for. 

Because of Rhodey, Tony could not only immediately pick out the weak member of a social pack and know precisely how to destroy them, but he could also choose to help them. Could sail the treacherous waters of society without losing himself. He could ignore the invitation for bared fangs or a blade of his own, and offer comfort or council instead. More importantly, he _wanted_ to. He wasn’t just the best, he was working at being _good_ , too. 

Even if the Avengers don’t often get to see that side of Tony, it’s still there. So when Captain America's BFF gets brought in from the cold, Tony watches him. Watches to see if he turns out to be another wolf in sheep’s clothing or just decides to play it straight and be a wolf. Maybe a tiny bit of the watching is because it’s yet another hero of the past, another person he grew up hearing bedtime stories about. In another life, Tony might even be starstruck. 

Partially it's because Barnes is dangerous, and Tony seems to be the only one acknowledging that. Steve brings his best friend turned pet-assassin home like he's a lost puppy, all smiles. Just like that, Natasha has a kindred spirit, Clint has someone he can try to outshoot, Sam has someone to help him ride herd on Steve. Banner just wants to hide in his lab, but there's an unspoken point that Barnes has probably killed more people than the Hulk, and it takes some of the pressure off. Thor doesn't much care for how things are run, happy to make notes about how Asgard is superior, but he keeps eying Barnes like he's going to challenge him to an arm-wrestling match.

For the most part, the Avengers close rank around Barnes in a way they've never backed up Tony. It makes something in his chest ache to see it, but he buries it under a polite mask. To pass the time he throws himself into carefully courting the press and politics, working to ensure the Soldier's freedom. 

Yes, Barnes is dangerous, and there is no doubt of that. The gold star assassin turned SuperSoldier turned Russian operative and GhostStory would always be lethal. (See: sniper training, SuperSoldier Serum, decades of being a living weapon, bionic arm, etc). To keep an eye on him is just good sense, business or otherwise. In spite of all that, he's also a human being that doesn't deserve to be counted out. So, Tony watches. 

Call it self-preservation, call it logic, call it common sense or just good taste. After all, there's a part of him that could never turn down pretty eyes and a sharp jaw, and Barnes certainly has that going for him. At the end of the day, James fits the phrase "if looks could kill" in more ways than one. And Tony watches.

It’s because Tony watches that he can see it, immediately. The ever-weakening facade that Barnes wears reminds him of himself. Warps itself into a cobbled-together version of the smoothly fitting mask Tony himself has worn since he was old enough to speak. Behind the ‘dazzled by the future’ glaze to his eyes, the ice blue is fractured by anxiety. Barnes is more than a little lost, and he’s going to go to pieces if someone doesn’t do _something_. 

And if Captain America won’t? Well, Iron Man _will_. 

Not the type to lay on a wire? Watch _this_.

"Hey Little Sniper Boy," Tony mumbles as he and Barnes stare at each other across the kitchen in the dead hours of the morning. “You ever think about leaving this place?”

It's something Tony himself has been contemplating, so he's a little surprised when his mouth starts moving before he even finalizes his plan. Of course, as soon as he starts talking he knows what he's going to do, well, if James is amenable to the whole thing. 

James has ceased to react to Tony’s ever-widening repertoire of nicknames beyond a flicker of expression. This one gets a faint kick up at one corner of his mouth, but no other movement for several heartbeats. Where normally Tony would continue to chatter, he offers only silence. He’s learned that with a little bit of patience Barnes will talk, he just needs a moment to make the choice. 

“You kickin’ me out, Stark?” Barnes eventually mutters, gravel in his tone weighing the words down to a harsh whisper. 

Just like him to go to the worst-case scenario at the drop of a hat. 

“What kind of asshole do you think I am?” Tony bristles like a wet cat, then holds up a forestalling hand. “Wait, don’t answer that. You’re Cap’s toy, and stars above only know what things he thinks about me. If he says ‘em to you, I don’t want to know. No, I’m not kicking you out, Barnes. Contrary to popular belief, I’m not a total dick.” 

“Don’t much keep tabs on popularity,” Barnes admits with a little more of a smile. “Lost the knack after the third or so defrost.” 

"Cute." Tony murmurs blandly. "I meant getting out. Vacation, sabbatical, needless binge on the SHIELD expense report, an extremely long-range version of hide-and-seek, an attempt to spend some of your hazard pay. Tour the country, visit tacky tourist traps. Take a _trip_ Barnes, to get out."

There are several moments of silence where Barnes seems to slowly collapse into himself like a neutron star. Curling in at the edges, folding himself into a tighter space as though he might just vanish utterly from view. As though he might _wish_ that he could. When he speaks, his voice is soft and sad, and Tony cannot help but hear an echo of himself in the words. 

"Where would I _go_?"

And that? That is **it**. 

Tony wants to bark at that. Wants to snarl, and snap and growl. Wants to go for Steve’s throat or maybe Fury’s, to pin them to the nearest surface where their boots can’t touch the ground. To hold them hostage and tell them a few things. Explain to them that Barnes’s current condition isn’t a healthy one, that the man needs more than mandatory sessions with a SHIELD shrink and his buddy extolling the virtues of the future in his ear. 

But SHIELD, and Rogers, don’t put much stock in what Tony has to say. So to hell with all of them, he’ll just talk to Barnes instead. But Barnes hasn’t earned half of what he wants to lay down on Steve, so Tony takes a few deep breaths before he bothers to open his mouth. He is not gonna yell, damn it. 

"Listen," Tony hears himself begin in a tone that is softer than he's ever used to speak to an adult before. It's his old _running science club for kids_ voice, the one he brought out when the simulations for Miranda's clean engine failed or Nate's triple loop death coaster crashed spectacularly. _That’ll do just fine, Stark._

“Listen, Barnes…” He begins again, a little stronger this time. “I have to get out of here for a bit. Meetings and stuff in California, visit a few friends on the way. The fact of the matter is, the team would prefer it if I wasn't around, and I'm rather inclined to the same opinion. You seem like you've been in New York or at war your whole life. Why don't you let me show you around the future a little?"

Blue eyes dart up at the first word, fix on Tony’s face like he’s a mask to look right through. Like he’s a puzzle to solve, but not a threat. Tony does his best to stand still, to project an honest interest in helping the man they now know was the longest-held Prisoner of War in history. Barnes visibly considers his words, tilting his head slightly, like he’s listening to something normal people can’t hear. Whatever it is, it convinces him in a way that Tony’s rush of words didn’t, because he’s nodding the next minute. 

"What did you have in mind?" He asks, and Tony can see victory on the horizon. 

"Just a little road trip," He coaxes. "Got some friends down south that are due for a visit, eat some good food and listen to some good music before I head on. The company would be welcome if it were the right kind." 

There's another moment of hesitation, and then a nod. 

“Sure,” Barnes agrees quietly. “Could do with some sightseeing, why not?” 

Tony’s dumbfounded, staring at him wide-eyed and a little wild. He couldn’t, he hadn’t… Jesus, Barnes had just said _yes._

“Y-yeah?” The billionaire echoes, visibly reining in the shock of it all. “You, me, road trip? You’re in, Frostbite?” 

Barnes tries on a grin for the hell of it, more amused than anything by the shock Stark is expressing. He knows they aren’t close, that he hasn’t taken steps to be close to anyone in the tower. The team is respectful, distant, hanging back as they wait for James to give them the queue that he’s interested, that he’s settled enough to make friends. Steve hovers in between, a blend of overly anxious fluttering over his old friend’s welfare and being torn by the loyalty he feels to his new team. 

Frankly, James wishes Steve would just go be with his team and let him have some time alone. Bein’ around Steve right now is too difficult, the silence that drags between them filled with too much. And words? Words are worse, filled with the weight of Steve’s desperation, his fragile hope, his increasing sadness. James can’t take another minute of Steve’s mournful words or hope-filled quiet, he’ll go crazy if he stays in New York while Stark jets off to places unknown. 

At least, this way he can wrestle with his ghosts in silence. Unlike Steve, Tony never seems to expect anything of him. It’s clean, pure in a way that nothing in his life is. Every suggestion Stark makes is offered in a careless fashion, arranged like it couldn’t matter to him less if they listen or agree or not. But he does care, James can hear it in the way his heart thunders in the moments after he makes the offer to invite James along. And that? That alone is interesting enough to prompt an agreement. 

“Never been to California,” James admits easily. “Or much of anywhere else. Where we heading first?”

“You’re going to your room to pack, and I’m heading off to mine to do the same.” Tony begins phone in one hand as he types like a mad thing. “Then? We’re out of here. Breeze through a few places, stop for food at some of my favorite spots, visit some friends. You’ll have a good time, just pack for everything. It’ll be a while before we’re back, though I can always send you back on the jet if you and El Capitan go into withdrawals.”

James notes the shrug, the careless flap of a hand, and decides Tony’s inching toward what is a sore subject for him. “Don’t mind getting a break from Steve, but if I tell him where I’m goin’ he’s gonna insist on tagging along.”

“Well, he’s not invited,” Tony points out with a firm look that’s bordering on a petulant little scowl. “Can you pack and meet me in the garage before he catches you?”

Barnes shrugs, but there’s a determined light in his eyes that Tony was beginning to think had been permanently extinguished. “Guess we’ll find out.” 

The billionaire grins. “You, me, The StarkBarnes Excellent Roadtrip. Meet me in the garage in less than twenty minutes.” 

The Soldier nods and then he’s just gone, leaving Tony standing in an empty hallway. _‘Man… Not sure I’ll ever get used to him doing that.’_

**Author's Note:**

> And so one of the bigger pieces of the Beach Bums Verse hath arrived!
> 
> Title from the Sheryl Crow song because the Beach Bums Verse is nothing if not puns, song references, and nonsense!


End file.
